Federal Register Summary for week of 28 March

Agriculture

• Commodity Credit Corporation Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Security Program

  AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service and Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA.

  ACTION: Notice.

  DATES: The administrative actions announced in the notice are effective on March 27, 2008.

  FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dwayne Howard, Branch Chief— Stewardship Programs, Financial Assistance Programs Division, NRCS, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013-2890, telephone: (202) 720-1845; fax: (202) 720-4265. Submit e-mail to: dwayne.howard@wdc.usda.gov, Attention: Conservation Security Program. SUMMARY: This document announces the Fiscal Year 2008 sign-up, CSP-08- 01, for the Conservation Security Program (CSP). This sign-up will be open from April 18, 2008 through May 17, 2008, in selected 8-digit watersheds.

  http://http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-6177.htm

• Woody Biomass Utilization Grant Award

  AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

  ACTION: Notice of award.

  SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI, awarded a grant to Flambeau River Papers, LLC, Park Falls, WI in the amount of $1.925MIL for a project titled “Biomass-to-Fuel”. This grant is being used by the grantee to support its ongoing effort in determining the potential technical and economic viability of constructing and operating a demonstration biomass-to-liquids biofuels facility, which would be co-located with the company’s existing pulp and paper mill. If successful, the biomass- to-liquids facility would generate renewable energy to operate the pulp and paper mill, as well as producing a marketable liquid transportation fuel.

  DATES: Grant award—March 17, 2008.

  ADDRESSES: USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, One Gifford Pinchot Drive, Madison, WI 53726-2398.

  FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions regarding the grant award, contact William Clark, Grants and Agreements Specialist, (608) 231-9282, wlclark@fs.fed.us. Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday.

  http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-6395.htm

Commerce

• Census Advisory Committee of Professional Associations

  AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce.

  ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

  SUMMARY: The Bureau of the Census (U.S. Census Bureau) is giving notice of a meeting of the Census Advisory Committee of Professional Associations. The Committee will address policy, research, and technical issues related to 2010 Decennial Census Programs. The Committee will also discuss several economic initiatives and demographic program topics, as well as issues pertaining to 2010 communications. Last-minute changes to the agenda are possible, which could prevent giving advance public notice of schedule adjustments.

  DATES: April 10-11, 2008. On April 10, the meeting will begin at approximately 8:15 a.m. and adjourn at approximately 5 p.m. On April 11, the meeting will begin at approximately 8:30 a.m. and adjourn at approximately 11:30 a.m.

  ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, Maryland 20746.

  FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeri Green, Committee Liaison Officer, Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Room-8H153, Washington, DC 20233. Her telephone number is (301) 763-6590, TDD (301) 457-2540.

  http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-6202.htm

• Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Notice of 90-Day Finding on a Petition to List the Ribbon Seal as a Threatened or Endangered Species

  AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.

  ACTION: Notice of a 90-day petition finding; request for information; and initiation of status reviews of ribbon, bearded, ringed, and spotted seals.

  SUMMARY: We (NMFS) announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the ribbon seal (Histriophoca fasciata) as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted. Therefore, we initiate a status review of the ribbon seal to determine if listing under the ESA is warranted. Concurrently, we also initiate a status review of the other ice seal species: bearded (Erignathus barbatus), ringed (Phoca fasciata), and spotted (Phoca largha). To ensure these status reviews are comprehensive, we solicit scientific and commercial information regarding all of these ice seal species.

  DATES: Information and comments must be submitted to NMFS by May 27, 2008.

  ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, information, or data, identified by the Regulation Identifier Number (RIN), 0648-AV36, by any of the following methods: Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Mail: Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, NMFS, Alaska Regional Office, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802. Facsimile (fax): 907-586-7012. Instructions: All comments received are a part of the public record and will generally beposted to http://www.regulations.gov without change. All Personal Identifying Information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will accept anonymous comments. Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the ribbon seal petition from the above address or online from the NMFS Alaska Region website: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/protectedresources/seals/ice.htm.

  FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Wilder, NMFS Alaska Region, (907) 271 6620; Kaja Brix, NMFS Alaska Region, (907) 586-7235; or Marta Nammack, NMFS, Office of Protected Resources, (301) 713-1401.

  http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-6432.htm

Environmental Protection Agency

• National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology

  AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

  ACTION: Notice of teleconference.

  SUMMARY: Under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92463, EPA gives notice of a public teleconference of the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT). NACEPT provides advice to the EPA Administrator on a broad range of environmental policy, technology, and management issues. The Council is a panel of individuals who represent diverse interests from academia, industry, non-governmental organizations, and local, state, and Tribal governments. The purpose of this teleconference is to discuss and approve the NACEPT Environmental Technology Subcommittee’s draft recommendations on actions that EPA and the investment community could take and partnerships they could create to achieve the goal of greater private sector investment in the commercialization of environmental technologies over the long-term. A copy of the agenda for the meeting will be posted at http://www.epa.gov/ocem/nacept/cal-nacept.htm.

  DATES: NACEPT will hold a public teleconference on Monday, April 14, 2008 from 2:30 p.m.—4:30 p.m. EDT.

  ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the U.S. EPA Office of Cooperative Environmental Management at 1201 Constitution Ave, NW., EPA East Building, Room 1132, Washington, DC 20004.

  FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sonia Altieri, Designated Federal Officer, altieri.sonia@epa.gov, (202) 564-0243, U.S. EPA, Office of Cooperative Environmental Management (1601M), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460.

  http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-6267.htm

• National and Governmental Advisory Committees to the U.S. Representative to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation

  AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

  ACTION: Notice of meeting.

  SUMMARY: Under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, EPA gives notice of a meeting of the National Advisory Committee (NAC) and Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) to the U.S. Representative to the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). The National and Governmental Advisory Committees advise the EPA Administrator in his capacity as the U.S. Representative to the CEC Council. The Committees are authorized under Articles 17 and 18 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, Public Law 103-182, and as directed by Executive Order 12915, entitled “Federal Implementation of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation.” The NAC is composed of 12 members representing academia, environmental non-governmental organizations, and private industry. The GAC consists of 12 members representing state, local, and Tribal governments. The Committees are responsible for providing advice to the U.S. Representative on a wide range of strategic, scientific, technological, regulatory, and economic issues related to implementation and further elaboration of the NAAEC. The purpose of the meeting is to review the CEC’s Trade and Environment projects and assist in the development of U.S. priorities for the CEC Council Session in June 2008. The meeting will also include a public comment session. A copy of the agenda will be posted at http://www.epa.gov/ocem/nacgac-page.htm.

  DATES: The National and Governmental Advisory Committees will hold an open meeting on Wednesday, April 16, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Thursday, April 17, from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.

  ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town Hotel, 1767 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. Telephone: 703-837-0440. The meeting is open to the public, with limited seating on a first- come, first-served basis.

  FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Oscar Carrillo, Designated Federal Officer, carrillo.oscar@epa.gov, 202-564-0347, U.S. EPA, Office of Cooperative Environmental Management (1601-M), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460.

  http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-6291.htm

National Science Foundation

• Notice of Withdrawal of Request for Public Comment on a Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment

  AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

  ACTION: Notice of withdrawal of request for public comment on a Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), originally published in the Federal Register: March 19, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 54), page 14847.

  SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) withdraws the notice of the request for public comment on a Draft PEA for the OOI. The notice was erroneously published (Federal Register: March 19, 2008 [Volume 73, Number 54], page 14847) prior to the release of the Draft PEA.

  DATES: Effective immediately.

  FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Shelby Walker, National Science Foundation, Division of Ocean Sciences, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Suite 725, Arlington, VA 22230. Telephone: (703) 292-8580.

  http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-5993.htm

Office of Science and Technology Policy

• Meeting of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

  ACTION: Notice of meeting.

  SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the schedule and summary agenda for a meeting of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and describes the functions of the Council. Notice of this meeting is required under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Dates and Place: April 8, 2008, Washington, DC. The meeting will be held in Room 100 at the Keck Center of the National Academies at 500 5th St., NW., Washington, DC. Type of Meeting: Open. Further details on the meeting agenda will be posted on the PCAST Web site at: http://ostp.gov/cs/pcast/. Proposed Schedule and Agenda: The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is scheduled to meet in open session on Tuesday, April 8, 2008, at approximately 9 a.m. The chair of the PCAST subcommittee on personalized medicine is tentatively scheduled to lead a discussion on the findings of the PCAST study on personalized medicine. The PCAST also is tentatively scheduled to convene two panels. The first panel will address policy issues associated with realizing the benefits of personalized medicine. The second panel will address approaches and barriers to research partnerships among universities and the private sector. Additionally, PCAST is tentatively scheduled to receive a briefing on the 2008 Science and Engineering Indicators developed by the National Science Board. This session will end at approximately 4 p.m. Additional information and the final agenda will be posted at the PCAST Web site at: http://ostp.gov/cs/pcast/meetings—agendas. Public Comments: There will be time allocated for the public to speak on the above agenda items. This public comment time is designed for substantive commentary on PCAST’s work topics, not for business marketing purposes. Please submit a request for the opportunity to make a public comment five (5) days in advance of the meeting. The time for public comments will be limited to no more than 5 minutes per person. Written comments are also welcome at any time following the meeting. Please notify Dr. Scott Steele, PCAST Executive Director, at (202) 456- 6549, or fax your request/comments to (202) 456-6040.

  FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information regarding agenda, time, and location is available at the PCAST Web site at: http://ostp.gov/cs/ pcast/meetings—agendas. Questions about the meeting should be directed to PCAST Executive Director Dr. Scott Steele at (202) 456-6549 prior to 3 p.m. on Friday, April 4, 2008. Please note that public seating for this meeting is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

  http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-5950.htm

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